The first task for this project was to fill a swimming pool with soil. Not as easy as this sounds as years of pressure from tons of water had made the clayey soil behind the pool walls practically impermeable. So we drained the pool, broke up the existing pool sides, and then dug into the virtual seal of the surrounding subsoil to ensure that the new topsoil would drain naturally and not fill up with rainwater like a swimming pool again. About 90 tons of soil later we were ready to plant. A small birch tree formed the focal point of the planting scheme with red-stemmed dogwoods providing a contrasting backdrop against the birch’s white bark in winter. Mid-scale planting came in the form of some shrub rose and a semi-mature witch-hazel. Small-scale plantings included several different species of ornamental grasses, hellebores, and several ferns.